Gear Review
GOBE is a company based in Australia. They create camera accessories such as lens filters and lens adapters. GOBE aims to create these products in a sustainable matter and use minimal and recyclable packaging. With every purchase made they plant trees in areas affected by deforestation such as Nepal, Haiti and Madagascar. They create great camera products while simultaneously taking care of the planet. That is their motto.
“Conscious Design. Positive Impact.“
I’m very excited to be partnering with GOBE. In this review, I’m going to talk about the two ND filters I have been using from GOBE, the ND2-400 & the ND1000 filters, both in 77mm thread size.
What is an ND filter?
To put it simply, ND filters are basically sunglasses for your lens. They allow you to reduce the amount of light entering the lens by absorbing it. This allows you to play around with the exposure of your photos by slowing the shutter speed and/ or opening up the aperture, and doing so can achieve amazing results.
Why use an ND filter?
You can achieve many interesting effects with ND filters, such as:
getting a smooth water effect on waterfalls & rivers.
removing moving people from the picture.
interesting motion effect from moving clouds
and much more!
Gobe Filters
To start it off, I have to say I’m in love with the way they package their products. It feels very eco-friendly and there was no single-use plastic in the packaging! The package comes with the filter, a soft microfiber cleaning cloth and a unique code to register your 5 trees on GOBE’s website!
Variable ND2-400 Filter
This filter is made of premium optical glass and coated with 24 layers to increase sharpness. It has a very slim profile to avoid vignetting. It is a variable filter, which means it can be rotated from ND2 (1 f-stop) all the way to ND400 (about 9 f-stops), which gives you great versatility in changing light. I find that is very useful because instead of switching filters to change the amount of light that enters, you just have to rotate it!
ND1000 Filter
This filter is also made of premium optical glass with 16 layers of ultra-nano coating for extra sharpness.
Now, unlike the previous filter, this one is NOT a variable filter. The ND1000 filter is fixed at 10 f-stops, meaning it reduces the amount of light entering the lens by 10 times! This one is mainly used when you want to achieve even longer exposures.
Shot with variable ND2-400 Filter
Shot with ND1000 Filter
What I Liked
The filters have consistently produced very sharp and clear photographs!
Installing the filters on the camera was very easy! The products are very user-friendly and can be easily screwed onto the lens.
The filters are very color-neutral. It simply reduces light without introducing any unwanted colors, which is very important!
Tips on Long Exposure Photography with ND Filters
Make sure to use a tripod! Since the shutter is going to be open for a longer period of time, it’s important the camera stays stable and doesn’t move.
Set a 2 second timer. Sometimes even clicking the shutter button can introduce shake.
For really long exposure times (< 30 seconds), I recommend using an exposure chart. This chart will help you calculate the correct amount of time needed for a perfect exposure.
Shot with variable ND2-400 Filter
Final Remarks
I’ve been testing the GOBE filters for a few weeks now, and I absolutely love the filters. They are light, easy to use and made of great material! If you’ve been wanting to invest in some good quality filters, look no further than GOBE! Not only are you receiving top-notch filters, but you’re also supporting a company who strives to create sustainable products and make the world a better place. GOBE plants 5 trees for every product purchased. As of now, they’ve currently planted over 1.9 million trees! That’s an incredible effort from their part, creating amazing and sustainable products while also making the world a better place! It’s companies like these we should be supporting!